That is the feeling around the Spruce Grove Saints as the Alberta Junior Hockey League Club gets set to host the Drayton Valley Thunder in the regular season opener, Friday at 7 p.m. at the Grant Fuhr Arena.

There has been no mention of last season’s loss to the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL final by anyone on the Saints roster. Instead, the veteran heavy group has been hard at work getting back into the process that earned them a spot in the league’s final series in both of the past two seasons.

“We’re ready to get the regular season going. We’ve got a pretty good group here and we’re excited to see where that takes us,” said goaltender Matthew Davis.

Davis, along with forwards Jordan Biro and Cam Mitchell missed the preseason with the Saints because they were in Sochi,Russia, helping Team Alberta win a silver medal at the Junior Club World Cup.

All three are in their third season with the Saints, and will be key in helping the rest of the veteran group with showing newcomers the ins and outs of an AJHL season. There are a total of 13 returning skaters on the Saints opening night roster.

“We have a lot of returning guys. Everybody has their own role, but we’re all a year older now and we all have to take on different responsibilities. I’m excited to get going,” said Biro.

Biro lead the team in points with six in five games, while Davis held onto the starter position throughout the tournament and into the gold medal game, posting a 2.98 goals against average and a save percentage of .932. Mitchell failed to register a point over five games, but contributed key minutes throughout in Russia.

“It was unbelievable down there. We had a great group of guys down there, and we were winning games so that helps. I really think the level of competition we played against over there will help us out back here,” said Mitchell.

His teammates echoed the statement, but quickly turned their attention back to the Saints, and their goals for the upcoming season. Though they said they will take the season one game at a time, Mitchell, Biro, and Davis alike were not shy to share grander aspirations.

“I want to win a championship,” said Davis.

Biro agreed. “I want to keep getting better on and off the ice as a player and a team this year, and I want to win a national title.”

The road to completing those goals starts this Friday against the Thunder, and these Saints know all too well the benefit a strong start can have. Last season, the Saints had a record of 7-1-0 headed into the AJHL showcase.

Without those points in the early stages of last season, the Saints would not have been able to make a run for second place at the end of the year. Though they did not end up surpassing the Bonnyville Pointiacs, their run of nine wins and one loss while in striking range of the Pontiacs ultimately acted as a springboard into a deep playoff run.

“We want to bring a lot of energy and let the league know what we’re all about this year,” said Biro.